Jack Reacher Sequel May be Within Reach

I totally dug Christopher McQuarrie’s “Jack Reacher”, starring Tom Cruise as Lee Child’s badass ex-MP turned badass drifter/vigilante. Unfortunately the film wasn’t the runaway success that Paramount was probably hoping, and for a while there it seemed like the studio’s plans to launch a new franchise for Cruise had veered off into the ditch.

But as it turns out, “Jack Reacher” has quietly picked up steam over the last few months since it opened last year, and has, as of today, taken in $79 million domestically and, probably more importantly, $133 million overseas. The film has now raked in a worldwide total of $213 million. Sans expensive special effects and elaborate action sequences, “Jack Reacher” was made for a relatively cheap production price tag of $60 million. (Ironically, the film’s lack of expensive special effects and elaborate action sequences may have contributed to its lackluster opening.)

According to Deadline, that post-$200 million tally may just be enough for “Jack Reacher” to land itself a sequel, with Paramount trying to “[figure] out the sequel”. That probably means they’ll be hiring a screenwriter (perhaps McQuarrie again) to look for another one of Child’s books to adapt next, and see where it goes from there.

Point is, “Jack Reacher 2″ ain’t dead, yet. Then again, I’ve learned long ago never to count out Jack Reacher. The dude is just too badass to die.